4/3/13 12:34 PM EDT

Esposito has been named senior executive producer of NBC News's investigative unit, where "he will help guide and manage the network’s overall investigative direction, working closely with the existing investigative teams to enable deeper reporting and exclusive enterprise reporting," according to the press release. Schone will be an editor on the NBCNews.com investigative unit.

POLITICO reported on Schone's hire over a month ago; Esposito told POLITICO at the time that he was not planning on leaving the network.

The news no doubt comes as a blow to ABC News: Esposito and Schone were two key members in an eleven-strong investigative unit led by Ross, the chief investigative correspondent, and producer Rhonda Schwartz. ABC News spokesperson Jeffrey Schneider told POLITICO that the network "wishes them well."